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Brief Synopsis

A gigolo marries a wealthy widow, seduces her stepdaughter and plots to kill them both.

Scarred and prematurely aged Michele Wolf returns to Paris in 1945 after having been liberated from the German concentration camp at Dachau. She persuades an old friend and fellow doctor, Bovard, to reconstruct her face to look as it did before the war. As Bovard goes to work on her, she dreams of her past. Because she is Jewish, Michele flees from Germany to Paris and there meets the brilliant chess player and handsome gigolo, Stanislaus Pilgrin. She falls in love with him, and they are married. Shortly afterward, the Germans, who have occupied Paris, arrest her, leaving no traces of her; and Stanislaus and her friends assume that she is dead . Meanwhile, Stanislaus and Michele's stepdaughter, Fabienne, have been living together in her house and now plan to obtain a large inheritance bequeathed to Michele. Since they cannot prove that Michele is dead, however, they must wait 30 years before they can control the estate. Michele's operation is a success, and Fabienne, who does not recognize her stepmother, proposes to use the resemblance to gain the money. When Michele reveals her true identity, Stanislaus still plans to get the money and run away with Fabienne. Michele catches them conspiring and orders Fabienne from her house. Fabienne plots Michele's murder, but Stanislaus murders Fabienne while also planning the death of Michele. Dr. Bovard intervenes and thwarts Stanislaus' plans. Stanislaus is arrested, and Michele and Bovard remain together.